What exactly does modernization mean? Metro will be overhauling the escalators, including the removal, refurbishment or replacement of all escalator parts including existing escalator steps, handrails, safety devices, and the electrical systems within the units.

At Gallery Place, Metro will be accelerating the process on four escalators at the 7th Street entrance to Red Line platforms. While they do these renovations, one escalator will be removed from service and another will be stationary, but can be used as a regular staircase. Only two will be operating as escalators.

At Union Station, four escalators will also be renovated, those at the First Street entrance platform to the mezzanine level and from the mezzanine level to the Amtrak level.

Metro promises to use double work shifts, which means the escalator modernization will be done in 8 weeks instead of the expected 12. They will begin work in early January 2011 and will finish by the end of February.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The antique dealer that used to be at 9th and F must have some sort of deal with Douglas Development.

After a final sale because they "lost their lease," another antique dealer has opened on E street where the National Journal headquarters were during election season. Also a Douglas Development property.

We are not certain this is the same antique dealer--this one does have printed signs instead of handwritten ones on cardboard. But it certainly looks a lot like it.

When Borders closed at 14th and F, the Clyde's Group quickly rushed in to grab the space. Not for another restaurant, but for a concert venue. That left a lot of people scratching their heads. What exactly did they have in mind?

For now, the venue is being called Hamilton Square Grill. It is going to have a 15,000 square foot nightclub on the basement level with a 20,000 square foot restaurant on the ground level. There will also be a 96 seat outside patio.

Not much word on the fare, except that there will be sushi and, in Clyde's fashion, a raw bar.

The real surprise is that they are planning on keeping the massive operation open 24 hours a day. The outside patio will be open until 2 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and until 3 a.m. on the weekends.

Madame Tussauds currently has sculptures of 16 presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama, but there are 28 missing.

Now, NBC Washington reports, the museum is underway to complete the 28 "missing" presidents to be housed in a new $2 million gallery.

Each figure takes three to four months to complete, with artists using hundreds of photographs and hours of video footage. Of course in the case of the older presidents the artists have to rely on paintings and historical accounts.

Mayor Fenty unveiled artist renderings of the new gallery. “Among the many museums and entertainment options in Washington, Madame Tussauds uniquely combines art, popular culture and entertainment,” said the Mayor. “The presidential gallery now adds the important component of education while celebrating the unique heritage of our city.”

DCist reports that New York's Magnolia Bakery -- widely credited for starting the cupcake trend -- may be coming to Washington.

No word on where they will locate, but with Red Velvet and Crumbs, Penn Quarter is cupcake central. Or will they move closer to Georgetown Cupcake? There may be multiple locations, as they are opening a Harlem-based distribution center that could serve D.C.

The Historic Preservation Review Board has recently heard an appeal from Joe's Souvenir, who now occupies the space on F street where Central Liquors was, to alter the historic Central Liquors sign. The sign probably dates back to 1936 and is currently in its third location.

Central Liquors moved to Terrell Place on the E street side of the building. Because of the residences above that space, the sign was not allowed on that building. The sign now belongs to the owner of the F street building.

The new tenant obviously wants the sign to say "Joe's Souvenir," with an American Flag at the top (where the "C" is currently).

The Location reports that the Board has held over Joe's Souvenir's application to be considered at it's next meeting.

The board's Staff Report and Recommendation (available here) says that they have not reviewed an historic sign in "recent memory." The staff recommended the sign remain as is.

Here is part of their opinion:

The Central Liquor sign, by its design, size and original materials, exhibits distinctive characteristics representative of the vibrant signage once common in Downtown. The applicant’s proposed alterations would replace so much of the sign’s original material, that the final product would fundamentally be a completely new sign, with only the structural supports remaining from the historic sign. The drawings provided do not convincingly assure Staff that the new neon can replicate the original, or that the proposed Plexiglas can replicate the finish and color of the current sign panel. The applicant has not provided evidence of corrosion or structural weakness that would make preservation unfeasible. Replicating the existing sign with a new sign of the same dimensions is not allowed because it clearly conflicts with the D.C. Building Code

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Museum of Arts and Sciences opened yesterday, and PQ Insider was there.

You may remember the controversy that surrounded this "museum." The proprietors, who paid $10 million for the space at 915 F Street N.W. that used to be the Platinum Nightclub, originally filed an application for a beverage license saying the "museum" would be used for "lectures, poetry readings, comedy acts, and chamber music." However, in real life it is clearly a bar. Neighbors were weary after Platinum closed in 2008 after a shooting there. The application included late hours, alcohol, and three dance floors--not exactly necessary for poetry readings.

The "museum" was allowed to open though. After several soft openings, the Museum of Arts and Sciences opened last night. They will have what they call a "real" grand opening on New Year's Eve.

The space is incredible. It has an incredibly high ceiling with an enormous skylight. Hanging from the skylight are massive chandeliers and all sorts of dance-floor lighting. Yet the bartender told us they expect it to be a place "where people can sit and talk." The building was originally one of D.C.'s first savings and loans.

Upstairs there is a private party room and a balcony where you (and security) can see all the action below.

There were small bites on the menu, which features foods from neighbors Cowgirl Creamery and CoCo Sala. They had an extensive drink menu, and the bartenders put a lot of work into each drink - making them just right.

There was a lot of staff - both wait staff and security. They are continually updating their list of wines and beers, and the staff was trying them all at the bar last night (they didn't give PQ Insider any samples, however).

It is hard to tell what kind of crowd this venue will draw and what it will turn into. For now, it is an incredible space with a very polite and attentive staff. PQ Insider will definitely be back.

The one-night only event kicks off the centennial year of Tennessee Williams. Academy Award-winning actor Eli Wallach and other notable American voices will read excerpts of classic plays, rare poems, and family letters, creating a portrait of America as seen through the eyes of Tennessee Williams.

Tickets range from $30 to $60, but there is a $500 VIP option open to "a few dozen guests." VIP guests will get to meet Eli Wallach at a champagne and dessert reception and get special seating.

I'm not sure that senators really count as a sighting in D.C., but in case you're interested Yeas and Nays reports that buddies and Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham were spotted on Tuesday night at The Source.

McCain ordered the Assam prawns while Graham had the pan-roasted chicken. Good choices.

We are hearing there is a fire at Metro Center, which is causing delays on the blue and orange line in both directions.

One tipster told us their train operator said they won't be moving "for awhile" and may be completely offloading in Arlington.

WMATAconfirms there are reports of smoke on the trackbed. Trains are sharing tracks between McPherson Square and Federal Triangle, though we hear the delays go much farther than that.

Update: A tipster who had to get off the train early was told by a WMATA driver that they are offloading half of the trains.Update: D.C. Fire/EMS confirms the fire in the Metro Center station. They say it is "smoldering" and is under control. They are scaling back, but not leaving the scene entirely. Blue and Orange lines are still delayed.

Update: Apparently the fire was caused by a light fixture in the tunnel that caught fire because of an electrical problem. The fire then caused the light fixture to fall and hit the tracks, where the exhaust fans were activated.

Update: WMATA reports the "situation" is resolved. They also say delays continue in both directions.

Update:Trains are no longer sharing a track and service has returned to normal. However, major delays will continue for some time. DCist has posted a picture of the fire at Metro Center:

Several times a week, first thing in the morning, I'd see them strolling counterclockwise around the block down 7th Street. No — strolling is too strong a word. They shuffled at a slow, deliberate pace: The elderly gentleman slightly dragging one foot as his wife ambled at the same pace, sometimes supporting his arm.

I probably saw them hundreds of times over the last four years. Apart from colleagues I'd routinely see coming and going from NPR, they were the most recognizable people in our neighborhood. They rarely ever spoke; over those four years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I heard them talking softly in Chinese. With quiet dignity, they'd stroll down the street, she in a sweater and he in a cap, his hands held behind his back as if deep in contemplation. Sometimes he had a mysterious smirk of authority on his face, almost like a small-town mayor making the rounds in his community.

[...]

I never got to know him. I don't even know if he even recognized me each day in the same way that I always recognized him. But I feel a profound sense of loss with his passing — not only for his wife and family, but for Chinatown itself.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Their website will show you what locations have bikes, how many have been checked out, and you can look at different days and times and see what the typical bike usage is. The map will even animate for you to see the flows of bike traffic.

Here is the Penn Quarter area right now. The size of the circles corresponds to how large the bike rack is (obviously bigger in Penn Quarter than most places) and the color coding is this:

You can see that none of the machines are very full or empty right now. 3.5% of the bikes are in use (well it is 30 degrees out), which the site says is "fairly low" (we should hope so). That's 1.5% lower than yesterday at this time.

At 10:30 this morning, there were 266 buses navigating the region, and a quarter were running 7 minutes or more behind. (Ten percent were at least 13 minutes late.) Ten percent were two minutes early, and 18 percent were right on the money, within a minute of schedule.

One 32 bus to Friendship Heights was 38 minutes late, and another on the N8 Glover Park line was 39 minute early. An S4 Federal Triangle bus was a half hour early, and an S80 to Metro Park was 35 minutes behind.

The post also came up with this nifty map, which we have adapted to show buses going to and from (and within) Penn Quarter. Green dots mean a bus is five minutes early or five minutes late; Yellowdots mean a bus is 5 to 15 minutes outside of its scheduled time; and Red mean a bus is at least 15 minutes late (or early).

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It won't be here until 2013, but Walmart is coming to Penn Quarter (well just over Massachusetts Ave. You can leave comments about how that's not really Penn Quarter).

It will be at 801 New Jersey Ave, which is just down H street.

What may surprise you is that this Walmart is expected to have an urban architecture:

“D.C. residents want more convenient access to quality jobs and affordable groceries,” said Henry Jordan, Senior Vice President, Walmart U.S. “We want to be part of the solution and look forward to building even more support for what our brand can deliver.”

Walmart expects to open 4 stores in the District in the next 2 years, creating 1,200 new jobs and 400 construction jobs as well as an estimated $10 million in tax revenue.

Update: Although it's in the comments section, we thought we'd pull up the most accessible ways of getting to this new Walmart by public transportation. The site is four tenths of a mile from Union Station and four tenths of a mile from Judiciary Square, though the latter a harder route because of the bridge going over I-395. There is also the X2 bus, which stops right there at 1st and H, and the 80 bus, which stops at Massachusetts and New Jersey Ave.

"Yes, Virginia": The Story Behind the Famous Editorial: 3:30 p.m.Knight TV Studio, Level 3
American University journalism professor and author W. Joseph Campbell tells the story behind the famous 1897 New York Sun editorial "Is There a Santa Claus?"

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Well, it looks like they are trying to fix that--and you stand to benefit.

WeLoveDC reports that until December 21st, each night at 9:30 p.m., Central is giving out free samples of potential new dishes. And if you show up there at 9:30 p.m., you get to try those dishes for free.

After your free bites, you'll be asked to rate each dish on taste, presentation, marketability and value.

All of the tallies from every night will be put into a hat at the end, and one lucky winner will win dinner for two at Central. Hopefully a dinner with a new, improved menu.

Roll Call reported yesterday about the ongoing bedbug scare at the IRS.

IRS headquarters are in Penn Quarter at 11th and Constitution.

The reported bed bug was found on an employee's clothing. The IRS has since hired exterminators to sweep the building.

But bedbugs travel on people's clothing. Meaning if downtown government buildings have them, then workers will likely travel home with them--and many government workers live in Penn Quarter. And condos make it very easy for bedbugs to travel from apartment to apartment, as New Yorkers have recently seen.

Is Penn Quarter ripe for a bedbug infestation? Are the condo and apartment buildings ready to respond?

- 15th Street will be closed between E Street and Constitution Ave N.W. Keep in mind that E street and Pennsylvania merge there.

- 17th Street will be closed between Constitution Ave N.W. and New York Ave N.W. This won't have as much of an effect since that is blocked by the ellipse anyway when coming from Penn Quarter.

However, these closings will affect you if you are traveling westbound from Penn Quarter on E, Pennsylvania or possibly Constitution, though you'll probably be able to get through. Furthermore, these closures will push traffic to other westbound roads, such as Massachusetts Ave.